Method of making flexible footwear



Jan. 29, 1952 J. A. RUBICO METHOD OF MAKING FLEXIBLE FOOTWEAR 2 SHEETS--Sl-!EET 1 Filed May 7, 1949 Jan. 29, 1952 .1. A. RUBICO METHOD OF MAKING FLEXIBLE FOOTWEAR Filed May 7, 1949 viii/08 3209 Patented Jan. 29, 1952 METHOD OF MAKING FLEXIBLE FOOTWEAR Jerome A. Rubico, East Boston, Mass., assignor to Jerome Rubico, Inc., Boston, Mass, at corporation of Massachusetts Application May 7, 1949, Serial No. 91,927

2 Claims.

My present invention relates to footwear, and more particularly to the manufacture and construction of flexible footwear, including a novel method or process of making the same.

Heretofore, in the manufacture of boots and shoes of various kinds, several standard methods of making the same have been employed, such as Goodyear welt and Littleway constructions, McKay shoe method, turn shoe type, cemented footwear, and certain special methods have been developed and employed but various objections and difliculties have been necessarily involved in the making of all such prior types of footwear.

The various former welt shoe processes were necessarily expensive, involved a vast number of operations, and the resulting shoe structure was stiff and unyielding and required breaking in. A relatively stiif and non-flexible shoe sole also resulted from the McKay and cemented methods; while the turn shoe processes secured a more flexible and single sole structure but was highly objectionable because of the necessity of attaching the upper and insole inside out, andthereafter completely turning the same, and requiring relasting, finishing, etc.

It has long been desired in this art to create a flexible shoe sole construction, but all such prior efiorts, as far as I amaware, have involved undue expense, special'machines, and processes, and pre-,

sented numerous diiflculties.

It is an object, therefore, of my present inven- My invention is also particularly applicable to special types of footwear, such as athletes shoes, baseball shoes, track shoes, golf shoes, or the like where extra flexibility is of the greatest importance.

Furthermore, my improved and novel methods are extremely simple and economical in materials, labor, and machine operations and are easily and readily learned by unskilled labor.

This floating welt is a thin strip of suitable material, either of thin leather, skiving or upper leather, textile material, or synthetic plastic, and is first attached to the sole by a standard turned shoe inseam stitching, thus providing a prepared sole with the floating welt attached. The cooperlizing a very thin insole element on which the upper is preferably cement-attached after lasting, and which lasting operation is, preferably, performed on my novel type of last with a central recess, leaving a marginal portion on which the lasting is effected and secured by cement. Such a last may be recessed only alon the forepart, via, from the ball to the toe portion of the subsequent shoe; or the last recess may extend to the heel breast of the shoe, or it may extend entirely around the heel portion.

With the upper thus lasted, the intermediate part of the thin insole element is cut out and removed, which operation is greatly facilitated by the recessed vlast bottom. Thus the prepared sole and floating welt and the pre-lasted upper are ready for bein cooperatively secured together. For this purpose I coat the adjacent surfaces of the floating welt and the marginal edge of the lasted upper with cement, and then unite the same by appropriate fitting and pressure. For this purpose, also, the central recess in the last bottom is proportioned to receive the'thickened middle part of the sole, which sole, as above noted, is of generally turned shoe sole contour.

Thus the floating welt and the margina] portion of the lasted shoe are adhesively or cementattached and, thus, also by this construction, the flexibility of both the sole and the shoe structure are maintained.

If desired, I may add a row of stitching thru the floating welt and the upper materials in the McKay type of stitching after the last is removed but this stitching is ordinarily not desired nor essential because of the present day commercial adhesives which will unite the floating welt and upper materials, whether of leather, textile, or other standard types of material with great tensile strength.

Further features, advantages, and improvements will be hereinafter more fully pointed out and claimed.

of standard design, with the toe portion broken away; i

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the prepared sole and floating welt inposition to be attached to the pre-lasted shoe upper before removal of the intermediate insole element; Fig. 3 is a similar cross-sectional view with ating upper material isassembledand lasted, utithe central part of the insole element cut away trative purposes a standard type of shoe with vamp, quarters, heel, etc., it will be appreciated that I may employ any style, size, or special shoe as for athletic footwear wherein the upper out toe cap, vamp, quarters, or heel.

Referring to the drawings, a standard type of shoe structure is indicated wherein the sole I, heel 2, quarters 3, vamp i, and toe portion 5 are designated, the Vamp, quarters, and toe comprising the shoe upper materials of two layers, Viz. an outer layer 6, and an inner lining 1, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Such a shoe as illustrated would also have a sock lining 8 and box toe 9 in the finished article.

The sole 1 is formed with a reduced marginal portion, as shown at H], presenting a shoulder 12 as is usual in turned shoe structure, to which the floating welt I5 is attached by inseam stitching H thru a kerf I! and, thus, leaving the central thickness of the sole as indicated at 29. The width of the extra thickness of the sole 2!! is substantially co-extensive in area with the recess 2| in the bottom of the last 22 so that when the central part of the insole l4 spanning the recess 2| is cut away and the sole 20 and the lasted shoe are pressed together, a substantially, smooth interior is presented to receive the sock lining 8,. as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. The marginal edge of the last 22, as shown at 23, is substantially equal in area to the lasted portion of the upper materials 6 and I and the width.

of the floating welt l5. The adhesive between the adjacent surfaces of the floating welt l5 and that of the lasted upper material will complete the union of the sole and upper.

However, it may be desired to add a line of McKay stitching, as indicated at 25, this being set thru a channel or kerf 26 formed in the lower surface of the sole l and has a McKay type of stitching applied after the last is removed, thru both the marginal reduced part ID of the sole to and including the marginal portion of the insole Hi. If desired, the marginal part H] of the sole may be turned upwardly, as shown in Fig. 6, in order to set the McKay stitching 25.

In Fig. 6, also, I have illustrated a slightly modified form of the free floating Welt l5 by having a bead formed on the outer surface, as indicated at l9, Fig. 6, thus tending to close the normal seam between the edge of the sole and the upper materials and to give a finish to this part of the shoe structure.

As shown in Fig. '7, I have designated the last 22 in the bottom-up position with the central recess indicated at 2|. This recess may, if desired, be extended further rearwardly, as shown in dotted lines 28-2B to the heel breast line 29, or still further to the rear as shown at 30 in dotted lines around the heel if it isdesired would be differently designed and with or withs 4 to extend the union of the upper, sole, and floating welt entirely around the periphery of the shoe bottom, which latter is a desirable construction for athletes footwear, baseball shoes, track shoes, and also, if desired, for slippers.

The several steps in the process of manufacturing my improved footwear will be readily appreciated from the foregoing description and drawings. A suitable sole material I is formed with the reduced marginal portion 1 to present the shoulder for the standard type of turn shoe sewing, and the floating Welt is sewn to the sole while it is thus separate from. the rest of the shoe. 'Theupper materials are also separably assembled on a last and lasted, preferably by cement-lasting. utilizing any of the standard commercial types of adhesives now employed in cement-lasted footwear. The last, preferably, has a recess as indicated at 2| in the last bottomv across which the insole element 14 extends.

This insole element holds the upper materials while they are cement-lasted and thereafter the center portion of the insole element is cut out, this being readily accomplished by running a knife around the edge of the recess 2!, leaving the lasted shoe as shown in Fig. 3. If a shank stiffener is desired, the same is applied as indicated at 33, and the sole I and lasted shoe are thereupon united, first coating with adhesive the adjacent contacting surfaces of the floating welt l5 and the inturned or lasted part of the upper. Sufficient time and pressure will firmly join the sole, floating welt, and upper I thus assembled. Thereafter, if it is desired to add the McKay stitching 25 as an additional attaching means, the last 22 is removed, the sole l which is in temper and pliable can have the marginal part Iii turned upwardly, and the stitching 25 readily applied, after which the outer channel 26 is cemented and turned down.

The shoe is now complete and ready for soleedge trimming, inking, burnishing, and treeing if desired, and the sock lining 8 applied. The flexibility of the sole I is maintained thru the floating welt attachment and the entire shoe is a flexible structure with the full thickness and wear-resistance of the sole l preserved.

Also this flexibility is maintained even though a tap sole is secured to the forepart ofthe shoe and extra thickness applied for increased wear-resistance for attachment of cleats, spikes, or the like when made for athletic footwear.

My invention of the process of shoe manufacture, which consists in first attaching the welt to a sole by turned shoe stitching, assembling, and lasting the upper and insole element on a' last, preferably by cement-lasting, and thereupon completing the uniting of thesole; floating welt, and lasted shoe upper are distinct novelties in this art, and I wish to claim the same herein broadly. J

Furthermore, my novel construction of a sole and pro-attached welt, wherein the sole is formed; with a marginal reduced edge portion constitutinga shoulder between the reduced margin and the full thickness of the sole, to which shoulder the inner edge only of the welt is pre-attached 1. The improved process of manufacturing,

flexible footwear of the kind described, which consists in providing a sole with a reducedmarr ginal edge portion constituting a shoulder, providing a welt, securing the inner edge of the welt to said shouldered portion with the body part of the welt extending unattached in parallelism with said reduced marginal sole portion, thus constituting a prepared sole and floating welt attached thereto, assembling upper materials on a last with an insole element, cementlasting said upper materials and the marginal part of the said insole element, removing the middle portion of said insole element, and thereupon uniting the cement-lasted upper to the surface of the floating welt.

2. The improved process of manufacturing flexible footwear of the kind described, which consists in providing a sole with a reduced marginal edge portion constituting a shoulder providing a welt, securing the inner edge only of the welt to said shouldered portion by stitching said inner edge portion in contact with said shoulder. the body portion of the welt extending substantially in parallelism with the reduced margin of the sole, and thereafter securing the lasted shoe upper to the welt in spaced relation from said stitching, whereby a floating welt structure is provided.

JEROME A. RUBICO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,052,529 Taenzer Feb. 11, 1913 1,087,517 Sundean Feb. 17, 1914 1,350,340 Schelter Aug. 24, 1920 1,508,002 Maccarone Sept. 9, 1924 1,708,552 Poole Apr. 9, 1929 1,079,705 Gordon May 11, 1937 2,103,331 Mathews Dec. 28, 1937 2,106,676 Green Jan. 25, 1938 2,160,531 Ayers May 30, 1939 2,204,669 Engel June 18, 1940 2,220,555 Stritter Nov. 5, 1940 2,288,615 Fausse July 7, 1942 2,314,425 Rubin et a1 Mar. 23, 1943 2,421,442 Tobacco June 3, 1947 2,461,355 Supple Feb. 8, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 72,948 Switzerland Aug. 1, 1916 

